(The road to).....fitness as a lifestyle

Road to incorporating fitness as a lifestyle

What is your sports/fitness journey? Have you just started? Been active and practicing the sport you love for awhile? Or are you thinking about starting?

Exercising has been proven to improve our health, our mood, strength and flexibility and a lot of people are including exercises as a part of their lifestyle.

If you're interested in my fitness journey, and some tips to get started, then read on :)

Sports and movement have always been in my life and there are two major reasons: first, my mom needed me to dispose of my never-ending energy in this city jungle, and secondly to build up my weak immune system.

At age 3, I started ballet twice a week and continue till age 18, twice a week, needless to say, I really love dancing!

Swimming was added since I was 6 years' old and is still a very important part of my life as it has drastically improved my asthma condition.

During teenage years, I participated in secondary school's athletic long run team and quitted the team due to heavy school work after 3 years.

Post-secondary school, I picked up a love for Jazz Funk + Hip Hop and muay thai and did them 4-5 times a week. I love the energy and the attitude of Jazz Funk and Hip Hop, the music and I love the fact that I did them quite well :P

My university life really didn't involve much activities besides some swimming here and there as I feel that swimming from time to time can help me unwind during exam period / writing essays, and help with concentration.

After university I've worked in several jobs in different office settings and they weren't really my 'thing' and returned to practicing muay thai again. It was a place where I meet many friends and let some steam off, which I did quite intensively for 4-5 times a week.

A turning point came around 6 years ago where I had a horse riding accident where I have landed on my right pelvis, that's when I reached out to Pilates for rehab as I suffered severe hip and back pain.

Pilates became my 'thing' and went on to get certified, convinced that I can make a living out of it, then quit my office job. I also incorporate some 15-30mins HIIT training 3 times a week to add some cardio.

Few years ago Garuda found me, from then on I've been traveling to London for training with James, and 4 years later, I opened Asia's first Garuda-focused studio in the heart of Hong Kong.

Now I practice Garuda & Freediving 4 and once a week respectively. The day prior to freediving tends to include a very light workout on Mat, while the day after tends to be spent on improving and thinking what didn't work during training, and maybe improve with some dry-land training. Sunday is our family day which is generally is a complete rest day with some mild activities with my son.

The focus now is much more for health, for soul, for mindfulness, and for freedom of movements.

So many times in my life pain has been debilitating, now I train so that I can move to my hearts' desire. Freedom of movement is what I train for, and this freedom is what I believe and teach.

If you're thinking to start your journey, there are many ways to start but here are some essentials in my opinion:

1, Set a goal

A goal essentially is the most important to guide you with where you go. It give you direction when you're lost at sea, when you're face with many distractions. Personally I found setting a goal of losing 'weight' on its own does not prove to be very effective, while you gain muscle during exercise the weight isn't the best measurements. Instead, setting a distance, if you want to run a marathon; a good postpartum recovery; a good competition season without injury is always a good goal to work towards.

2, Start slow

Divide a goal into small achievable pieces, from the final goal, to monthly, weekly, daily, then if you include healthy eating in your goal, then also plan out your meals!

3, Try different methods

With s many resources, videos and studios around, you could easily start with something!

If you are the kind of person who doesn't like to work out in front of people, following some videos at home could work. Or if you like some fun work out, try aqua gym or dancing!

If you'd like to learn more about your posture, Garuda and Pilates is the way to go.

4, When it's difficult, think about your goal

We all have ups and downs throughout the day, the week, the month. Stay true to your goal and daily goal, even if you stopped exercising for one day, it's not the end of the world. Pick up the next day and restart again, you might even feel more refreshed!

5, Find a buddy

Find a friend, partner or someone who's as interested in that activity as much as you do to motivate each other! As I am easily affected by others plus my schedule is quite unstable, that didn't work for me but I found it worked for a lot of people.

6, Rest day should be included

We got more motivated once we see results, but remember to give yourself rest day once / twice a week. During my rest day I like to just walk around with my son, or just do some light stretching.

Hope these help! And for those who have been exercising, what are your goals for starting doing exercises and what's your motivation for continuing?

Share with me your fitness journey and the challenges you're encountered if any!